A Trip to Remember - Final Thoughts

We have made it back to Arizona and after being home for a few days now, I already miss Japan. This trip was amazing in so many ways, from going to all temples and shrines and learning about the Japanese culture to being so welcomed by the students and faculties of Kobe Gakuin University (KGU) as well as the students and faculties of Osaka University.

The most rewarding aspect of the trip was in getting to meet and form new friendships with the students from KGU, the students from the Phoenix campus, and the third year students in the Tucson campus. During our many adventures together, I had the chance to form a close relationship with and make many memories with several of the students and I believe that this trip has allowed us to grow a stronger relationship with one another between the two campuses, which is important as we are one College of Pharmacy. In addition, the students and faculty of KGU were also so kind and welcoming to all of us and made us feel at home. I know that we all truly appreciate each and every one of them for taking the time out of their day to take us around their country, go sightseeing with us, and in teaching us about their culture. They were undoubtedly the ones that made our time in Japan so enjoyable and special. Furthermore, I am grateful for this opportunity to not only be able to explore and experience the beauty of this country and its culture, but also to learn about the Japanese traditional medicine, known as Kampo medicine, as well as how their pharmacy system and education differs from the states.

Lastly, we were informed beforehand about the heat and humidity during this time of year, but it was still a bit surprising how humid it really was. However, we all found ways to keep ourselves cool and although each day was long and the humidity had worn us all out by the end of the day, we still made the most of our time in Japan and explored and did as much as we could.

Overall, I wanted to take this time to say thank you to the University of Arizona (UA) faculty, KGU students and faculty, and Osaka University students and faculty for making this an unforgettable trip and for all their hard work to make this trip as wonderful as it was. It was definitely a trip to remember and I cannot wait to come back and visit!

-- Fiona Luc